Norman Cook (March 21, 1955 – December 22, 2008Justin Tierney.
Lincoln High legend Norman Cook dies
. ''State Journal-Register''. December 23, 2008.) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A 6'8" forward from Lincoln Community High School in

Lincoln, Illinois Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. First settled in the 1830s, it is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. Lincoln is h ...

, Cook played basketball at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

from 1973 to 1976. He was named the Big Eight Conference's Freshman of the Year in 1974 after averaging 11.4 points per game and helping the Kansas Jayhawks reach the NCAA Final Four. Cook left the University of Kansas after his junior season to make himself eligible for the 1976 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Boston Celtics.Former Kansas basketball star Norm Cook dies
. ''Kansas City Star''. December 26, 2008. He appeared in 27 games over two seasons with the Celtics and Denver Nuggets, averaging 2.4 points per game.Norm Cook
basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on December 27, 2008. Cook was haunted by bouts of mental illness. Cook's son, Brian Cook, has played for several NBA teams.

References

1955 births 2008 deaths American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Denver Nuggets players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball Power forwards (basketball) 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people {{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub